THE CARPET GARDEN
WILD FLOWER MEADOW
WOODLAND GARDEN
The Gardens at Highgrove embody HRH The Prince of Wales’s environmental philosophy:
"it is better to work with nature than against it"
SUNDIAL GARDEN
Since 1980 when The Prince of Wales first arrived at Highgrove, His Royal Highness has devoted much energy to transforming the gardens around the house. With the help and advice of notable individuals and the dedicated assistance of the garden staff, what was once a somewhat bleak landscape is now one of the most creatively inspired gardens of today. A series of interlinked areas, each with their own character and purpose, weave magically around the garden, with the house always visible in the distance.
THE COTTAGE GARDEN
For the last 25 years the gardens and surrounding land have been managed to the organic and sustainable principles that His Royal Highness has for so long championed.
A specially-built reed bed sewage system is used for all the waste water from the house and the Orchard Room.
The gardens have been developed to be as self-sufficient as possible with all green waste recycled for use in the gardens as mulching material or as compost. Natural predators are encouraged for pest control and only natural fertilizers are used. His Royal Highness desperately wanted to protect and enhance our native flora and fauna which have been in serious decline due to modern farming methods.
On the advice of Miriam Rothschild, one of the country’s leading advocates of biodiversity, The Prince re-created a lost habitat by re-establishing a wild flower meadow.
The meadow now boasts over 30 different varieties of native plants including ox-eye daisies, yellow rattle, common spotted orchid, meadow crane’s bill and ragged robin, creating a rich tapestry of colour and diversity.
The gardens are also home to part of the national collection of Beech trees and large leaved Hostas which His Royal Highness maintains on behalf of Plant Heritage/NCCPG, of which The Prince is Patron. This organization conserves the diversity of our plant heritage through its national collections.
Vegetables loved by His Royal Highness such as Charlotte potatoes, Spring cabbage, Brussels sprouts and carrots are grown in the Walled Kitchen Garden, including rare and endangered varieties that are vital in terms of biodiversity. A wide variety of apples are grown, both next to the Orchard Room and the Walled Garden, including Nonpareil, Golden Knob, Cornish Aromatic and Lady’s Delight. There are also examples of some very rare cooking apples; varieties which are now virtually extinct.
OLD ENGLISH APPLES IN THE WALLED GARDEN
Wildlife thrives in this environment and is furthermore encouraged;
from English song birds like the Chiif-Chaff, Dunnock and Song Thrush to dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, newts and rare bumble bees; all are part of the virtuous circle of Nature at Highgrove. His Royal Highness is proud of his garden and, since the early 1980s, has regularly invited various groups to visit. It is now possible to book tickets on an individual or group basis.
His Royal Highness is proud of his garden which is open for visitors.
